Remembrance
by Berk'sWarrior
Summary: Somethings you just don't forget, even after a year alone goes by...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been in a Oneshot mood lately.**

**This idea came up while I was listening to "Springsteen" by Eric Church. Yes, I am a huge country fan, I absolutely love the music. I'm not sure if this even has anything relative to the song (I think it does).**

**I hope you enjoy this, and Happy readin'!**

* * *

Hiccup stared out at the forest below the cliff. The trees stood still, as if almost beckoning for him to walk through their clusters, explore their boundaries. He sighed and sat on the edge of the cliff, the green field of the tree tops and big hills stretching out on all sides, nothing more.

A whole year had passed. He had gotten used to sitting on this cliff in his free time, instead of training somewhere off with his father and two or three of Berk's greatest warriors. He sighed again, the serenity spread over the area, the birds chirping and once and a while a doe and her fawn sprinting over a hill, and vanish as quickly as they had come.

And he hated it. He hated it _so much_.

Alone for a year now, who wouldn't hate it? He even had to celebrate his rare leap year birthday alone with his dad and the few warriors, alone on the cliff. He was 17, alone, not even Toothless by his side.

He absolutely hated it.

The days treaded on, and he had lost count of the days he had left in this stupid Chief Training course every heir had to go through. In his mind, it had gone on long enough. His mind wandered to the last time he saw his friends...

The first person he thought of was Snotlout. He had to chuckle into the still air; he probably is still as hard headed as he was when he left. The night before Hiccup had left, the gang had gathered, and Snotlout seemed to have no reaction. He wasn't so sure about on the inside though; they were cousins after all.

The twins...they probably haven't change much either. He could picture them pulling just as many, maybe more, pranks on each other and the town. Their little gathering they paid no attention to, and were chatting about something else ways off. Probably just another argument.

He was snapped out of his quick trance by the sound of the men in the camp behind him shouting. He turned his head for a mere second, but quickly turned it back. He put his head in the palm of one of his hands, elbow resting on his knee. He looked back out at the dragonless wilderness, as a slight breeze picked up, ruffling through his slightly outgrown hair.

Getting back to the thought of his friends, he ignored the sounds of the Vikings shouting and yelling behind him.

Fishlegs may miss him; he was the closest thing to a friend before he met Toothless, back when he was 14.

Hiccup smiled, brushing a hand through his hair. Fishlegs was the only other absolute dragon-finatic than him, he was sure to miss having something chat with about them. No one else ever wanted to.

His thoughts suddenly veered to one person in particular he had missed...

He remembered that night, at the small gathering to tell them how he was going away for a while, and wouldn't be back for sometime. He hadn't been about to tell wether Astrid was sad, angry, or didn't even care. He wondered about now, if she was still the same brave Viking girl he'd known when he left. Or if she had missed him at all.

His shoulders slumped in annoyance.

Toothless...Toothless would be happy to see him. That he knew. He had constructed a new stirrup before he left, and had asked Astrid if she could ride him some time for him, so Toothless wouldn't be grounded for so long. He wondered if she ever did. Toothless would've missed him though. He just knew it. They were the best of friends, and friends can't just watch their friend go away without feeling the slightest bit of upset.

Ugh, why did he have to think of everyone; it only made his time at this terrible camp harder!

Mentally kicking himself, he stood up from his position on the cliff, and turned around to walk back,

when he saw his father standing there in front of him with a smile.

"D-Dad? What's up?" he asked, now completely confused. Stoick only smiled at him more, and Hiccup made a questioning gesture, as if asking, 'what now?'

His father walked up to him and gestured to the clearing behind him...where that camp was. Or now, used to be.

"Son," Stoick said with a smile, "We're going home."

The happiness Hiccup felt at that moment was incalculable...he was finally going home. Back to his family.

* * *

**A/N: Short? Yep. Confusing? Yep. Sorry about that...**

**This is really short, I know, but I had the idea and I just had to write it down. I'd love to hear what you thought, though!**

**Thank you for reading, and have a great rest of your day, viewers!**

**-catz4eva101**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: "I've been in a Oneshot mood lately"**

**...**

**Hahaha! Ha...**

**That doesn't fit this one now. A few of you wanted a second chapter, and that's not a bad thing! Not a bad thing at all! :)**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MAY BE VERY SHORT. WE'LL SEE AT THE END. HAVE A NICE DAY.**

* * *

Hiccup was entirely on edge. Eager to get home, he rushed to pack all of his stuff in one of the last makeshift tents they had up.

"Dad, how long do you think the trip back will be?" he asked, stuffing his spare clothes into a sack. "A few hours at the most, we'll be riding on dragon-back." Stoick explained while he was packing away his own supplies. Hiccup looked up. "Did you say, 'Dragon-back'?" Stoick nodded. "Yes. Don't ye remember the Monstrous Nightmares we flew in on the way here?" he questioned.

Hiccup had forgotten.

Hiccup shook his head to clear it, returning to his packing. Now even more eager, especially to be riding a dragon again after a year-long wait, he hurried up his packs, not careing or noticing the fact that the sack was very untidy looking. Heck, that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. He swung his sack over his shoulder in a heap, and stood outside the tent waiting for his father, tapping his foot in anxiety. He paced just a bit, limping every step; a year without changing his prosthetic to a taller hight wasn't very comfortable.

"Alright, alight, stop yer pacing, I'm done." Stoick called, as he walked out of the tent. Hiccup looked up at him eagerly. Stoick just chuckled with a smile, "The dragons are on the far west side of the river, if that's what you wanted to know."

Thankfully, it was exactly what he wanted to know.

Hiccup ran. He ran hard and he ran fast. As fast as he could to the river that was located just down the cliff.

He tripped, many many times along the way, down the sides of the rocks, his prosthetic getting stuck in cracks in between them. But he was too eager and anxious to care the slightest bit. Rock after rock, he climbed down, the river getting wider and wider with each step down. His sack threatened to fall off his back and spill open, but he ignored it and mindlessly straightened it upright.

_Almost...there..._

*TRIP*

A boulder connected into his prosthetic, sending him tumbling down the side of the cliff, which thankfully he had cleared most of it and was basically a five-second tumble. Small cries were heard from the top of the cliff where the last few men were packing up the last tent that was still propped up on the ground. They knew he was alright though; they've heard larger cries. besides, they did just spend a year toughening him up, didn't they?

Hiccup seemed to fall down the side mostly unhurt, except for a few bruises that may be painful for the next few days. He got up, dazed for a few seconds, then shook his head, getting right back up to his feet. he ran another hundred meter until he reached the river, and the dragons that lay in a coma on its riverbanks. Dragons could put themselves in hibernation comas, so they were still draining off the effects of their winter sleep.

Hiccup walked quietly up to them, hoping not to disturb them, when thankfully and eyes slowly slid open, and the dragon hummed to it's brother, alerting the presence of a human. The Nightmare got up, and shook it's self, getting rid of remaining fatigue. The two others did the same, and all six pairs of eyes looked at him calmly, remembering this exact human.

"Hey guys, remember me? You're old pal Hiccup? Guess what? We're going home." Hiccup said with a big smile. The dragon's head lifted at the word home, and they turned to each other, chatting in dragonese.

Hiccup sat there, rocking on his feet -well, foot, waiting for them to finish.

Finally the dragons turned back to him, and the middle one bowed his head, waiting for him to climb on. Smiling, Hiccup took the gesture and climbed onto his neck, looking down to see his father and the Vikings catching up and stopping in front of him and the dragons.

"Well, climb aboard, men. We're going home!" Hiccup said with glee.

* * *

The ride wasn't his best. The dragons hadn't been ridden for a year, and he seemed to have been (DARE HE SAY IT) loosing his grip on his skills in riding. That doesn't mean he was no longer good, he was just...struggling at very small times.

The dragons carried the folded up tents on one, and another carries the Vikings. The third, the one Hiccup was riding, carried him and Stoick on its back.

"How much longer?" Hiccup questioned. Stoick said in reply, "Give or take 2 more hours."

Hiccup groaned in annoyance as the wingbeats drowned out all sounds elsewhere.

* * *

It was getting more and more on Hiccup nerves. He was looking out on the forest below for any signs, when nothing appeared.

Nothing for over three hours.

He was just about to complain again when a little point stuck up in the distance. Could it be...? The Great Hall!

"Put it in overdrive." Hiccup whispered into the dragon's ear. The Nightmare, sensing the presence of relative dragons, would've done this anyway. With a quick hum to his brothers, they stretched out their wings as far as they could, and they flew faster than Hiccup thought imaginable.

* * *

It was mid-after noon the time they reached the area just next to the Great hall.

Hiccup had never been happier. He stepped of the Monstrous Nightmare with a 'thank you', which flew away back to its family. Hiccup stood there a few moments, closing his eyes and smiling, breathing in the stillness of the area, a rare thing on the island. Home sweet home...

"Where to first?" He questioned his father. Stoick, who seemed to be in a trance of his own, looked at him and said, "You go and wait in the Great Hall. I go and tell Gobber so he can let the town know." and with that, they parted.

Hiccup walked up the great steps, relief flooding through the familiar stones. He put his hands on the great door, and gently pushed them open, revealing the emptiness from lack of Vikings within. That would soon change.

He sat down at one of the tables and waited. And waited.

And waited...

He put his hand on his palm and rested it on the table, slouching. Boredom was slowly creeping in. Suddenly he heard the sound of the doors slamming open, revealing nothing but the mob and shouts of villager. Hiccup got up from the table as they rushed to greet him.

"Welcome back!" "Good to see you again lad!" "Good to know you're ok!" The villagers said to him. He shook hands, smiling, although still in somewhat of a daze. Over and over, he started to think somehow the village had an unlimited amount of people.

Right when his arm started getting tired from all the hand shaking, Hiccup was knocked forward from a huge blow to the shoulder. He yelped in pain, and slowly turn his head to the person who did it to him. What he saw led to a huge smile.

His five friends all stood there, with Astrid in the front as the blow-giver. His smile quickly vanished when he saw Astrid scowling. "What?" he questioned. "I've been away for a year and when I come back all you do is scowl at me?" he said surprised. He hadn't thought his friends would be mad at him.

"How _dare_ you! What were you thinking?" Astrid said in anger, walking up to him, and giving him another strike to the shoulder. "Wait, wait, wait. _None _of this is even my fault this time! I can't expect to-" he said, a bit upset that she would accuse him like that, when she interrupted him by throwing her arms around him, and kissed him. The village chuckled to one another at the sight, and their friends just made 'eww' expression. The other two didn't seem to notice or care.

Astrid was finally the one to back off, and they stood there a moment before she pulled him into a hug. "I glad you're back." she said. "Me too." Hiccup said in response, smiling. She let go of him and he walked forward to greet his other friends. He hugged Ruffnut for a second, which received a 'welcome back', and fist bumped the guys, also giving him 'welcome back's.

"Wait." Hiccup said after a second. "Where's Toothless?" the six friends eyes widened.

* * *

Hiccup ran through the door, his friends close behind him. "He was down at the Cove the last I saw him!" Astrid shouted to him. "Did you ever fly him?" Hiccup questioned as they ran. "Absolutely! What, you think I'd leave him stranded?" she accused. Hiccup just shook his head and ran faster.

The trees didn't seem to block him as they ran. He had to see Toothless. He _had_ to.

* * *

The Cove was deadly quiet. It worried Hiccup for a second, then he spotted and oddly familiar black lump laying near the water. Toothless? He quietly walked down the cliffside of the Cove, his friends following him.

"Toothless?" he called out to him. The dragon's head perked up, and he stood still as if not recognizing his voice. "Toothless...it's me. Hiccup." he called out to him again. Toothless's head turn, and he froze, his eyes widened.

Not two second went by before he was bounding over and enveloping his friend in happy licks on the face.

Hiccup laughed, and hugged his best friend, and Toothless put his wings around him as if giving him his own hug. "I've missed you." Hiccup said, Toothless grumbling in response. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, and he didn't care.

"Now that the whole 'reunion's over, who wants to go flying?" Astrid suggested after a minute. Hiccup's eyes widened, and the next thing he knew he was on Toothless's back, soaring through the air alongside his friends. There really was no size difference needed; Toothless hadn't grown at all so the prosthetic and saddle didn't really need refitting.

Hiccup looked to each side of him, and he knew from the sight of his friends. He knew this was where he belonged.

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**A/N: Wow, didn't turn out as short as I thought it would've.**

**Did you like it? Let me know in a review! :D**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that you have a wonderful rest of your day, viewers!**

**-catz4eva101**


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